Radio Silence
by lois88
Summary: Caroline and Elena have a fight – it doesn't end as soon as either one of them would like.


Title: Radio Silence

Author: lois88

Summary: Caroline and Elena have a fight – it doesn't end as soon as either one of them would like.

Spoilers: I got inspired to write this after seeing the sneak peek for "The cell" and had to post it quickly before the episode aired – so if you don't wanna be spoiled, you might wanna wait a couple of hours before reading.

Note: Probably nothing for Stelena-shippers (even though Stefan comes out of this looking rather decent, while not being mentioned much). Focuses mostly on the relationship between Caroline and Elena and the problems I have with it (which have nothing to do with Damon, by the way – Vampire Barbie has every reason to hate him, she just should start to accept her so-called best friend for who she really is, not for the picture her limited experience with her has painted in her mind). So if you think Caroline Forbes can do no wrong, this probably isn't your cup of tea. Be warned – otherwise enjoy!

* * *

It was inevitable, always had been. Of course they would run into each other again at some point, it would have been foolish to think otherwise. Even after years, entire decades without so much as a phone call or a Christmas card, there were still people in their lives that connected them to each other, that would always connect them. So why was she surprised to find Elena Gilbert standing in front of her in the stylish kitchen of Bonnie's New York apartment, only a few feet away from their mutual best friend's 50th Birthday celebrations?

"Hey", the girl greeted her somewhat tight-lipped, a warmth she still remembered completely missing from her voice.

"Hey", Caroline replied friendlier, sure to put a smile onto her lips when she looked the other woman up and down. She hadn't changed much. Her hair was shorter than the last time they had seen each other, a head full of brown curls framing her face and ending just above her shoulders. The little black dress she was wearing looked a little more elegant than what she was used to seeing her in, but it didn't seem out of place at the festivities at all. After all this time, she didn't look a day older than the day she had died, of course … just like the rest of them. "Long time no see", she added, hoping to start up a conversation.

"Yeah", was Elena's only reply as she moved past the other woman to the refrigerator, pulling out a blood bag. Bonnie certainly had made sure the variety of immortal beings at the party would be well taken care of. The brunette took some glasses out of a kitchen cabinet and started to fill the thick red liquid into them, not sparing the former friend another glance.

Caroline swallowed, awkwardly putting her weight from one foot onto the other. "So, how have you been?"

"Great", Elena answered, seemingly not ignoring her after all. Maybe she had started imagining things. "Paris is beautiful this time of the year, you know."

The blonde vampire nodded, remembering her last visit of the city. "You live in Paris now", she deduced.

"I've always wanted to, at some point", the other woman reminded her, as if either one of them could ever forget the dreams and wishes they had whispered to each other curled up under the same blanket at various pajama parties. "So after a couple drawn-out visits we bought our own place, seeing as we'll probably go back for centuries to come." There was no bite to her tone, but Caroline could swear she felt a sting at the mere mention of the little word 'we'. "I'm even going back to college", Elena continued, three filled glasses of blood now in front of her. "Well, a friend talked me into taking some art classes at the Sorbonne and I love every second of it. She on the other hand only uses them as an excuse to flirt with unknowing college kids, I'm sure", she added with a somewhat louder voice.

"As if you didn't do your fair share of flirting!" a familiar accented voice interrupted from the doorway, making Elena grin knowingly as she disposed of the now empty blood bag. "You always make those poor boys think they stand a chance with you – until tall-dark-and-handsome shows up to pick you up for lunch, putting the fear of God into them with one of his trademark-smirks. I always have to take care of them afterwards", Rebekah defended herself, a wry smile on her lips as she snatched one of the glasses from the countertop.

The dark-haired girl shook her head with a laugh, picking up the other two bloody beverages. "Always willing to make sacrifices, aren't you?" she teased her friend, who in turn put her free arm around her shoulders.

"Someone has to," the Original declared, before eventually turning her attention toward the third woman in the room. "Caroline Forbes, is that you? Gosh, haven't seen you in forever. Say, is my brother still obsessed with you? Can't seem to keep track of these things."

Caroline openly gaped at the other vampire for several seconds before finding her voice again. "He still sends me a Birthday gift every year – which you might tell him to stop doing, by the way. Burning up priceless pieces of art got tiresome after the first decade or so."

Rebekah nodded. "I'll make sure to let him know – not that he would listen to me or anything. But seeing the look on his face when I tell him that you destroyed his beloved masterpieces should make my day, so …" Shrugging, she took a sip of her blood.

Elena rolled her eyes at the exchange, disentangling herself from her friend's embrace. "Not that I wouldn't love to discuss taking Klaus down a peg or two, but I should get back in there." She held up the two glasses in her hands. "Caroline, nice to see you again. Rebekah, don't forget that we have a flight to catch tomorrow night. I'm not going to compel Jean-Pierre into postponing your date with him – again."

The Original scoffed as Elena started to leave the room. "That happened one time … wait, which one is Jean-Pierre again?"

Without giving an answer, but not without letting out a loud enough sigh, her friend shook her head as she disappeared around the corner, moving into the direction the music was coming from.

Rebekah only shrugged once more, before looking back at Caroline. "Why do you keep staring at me like that?"

"Like what?" the other girl countered. "Like someone who's asking herself since when Elena is buddy-buddy with the woman who got her killed? Like that?" Because that was what she had been seeing. The cold demeanor Elena had greeted her with earlier – it hadn't been there in her interactions with the other woman. The warmth and compassion the girl she used to know had always shown to everyone under the sun – she still had it while talking to Rebekah Mikaelson, of all people. What the hell?

Rebekah looked at her sadly, almost with pity in her eyes. "I don't know. Since when aren't you?"

Taken aback, Caroline just stared straight ahead, the memory hitting her like a freight train. She remembered it as if it was yesterday, after all …

* * *

Elena was a wreck …

She was pacing the living room floor of the Boarding House, completely beside herself, trying to contact Damon on his cell phone for the umpteenth time – not surprisingly, it went to voicemail, again.

Caroline was sitting alone on a couch, Bonnie and Jeremy across from her on the other, while Stefan was leaning against the fireplace, watching Elena warily.

All of a sudden, she stopped running around them in circles, her attention focused on her ex-boyfriend. "We need to find him, Stefan!" she pleaded, desperation ringing in her voice.

"He doesn't wanna be found right now, Elena", he reminded her with a sigh, running his hand over his tired face. He was just as worried as she was, but tried not to let it show.

Elena scoffed, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "You think I care about what he wants right now? What matters is what he needs – and that is us, that is not being all alone with whatever twisted thoughts he has about keeping us safe from this."

Stefan nodded, knowing that his brother would hate for the love of his life to see him in his current state – but in the end, she was also the only thing in the world that could possibly keep him sane. "I know most of his usual hideouts – he won't go there, of course, but he will be close to them, to something familiar. We'll find him."

Swallowing down the lump in her throat, she nodded thankfully.

Pushing away from the wall, the older vampire walked toward his ex-girlfriend carefully, almost afraid she would lash out if he dared getting too close. "Did he say anything to you about … what did he say?"

Elena shuddered, her arms moving up to hug herself at the memory. "He didn't say much. He was a mess, really. After what Maxfield did to him … it brought up all the memories he didn't want to remember. He said he was damaged, that I deserved better and that we both always knew that, then he kissed me and just … left."

Stefan nodded. "He'll probably try to get as far away from Mystic Falls as possible. But it's the middle of the night – why don't you try to get some rest. We'll leave first thing tomorrow morning."

She opened her mouth to protest, but Jeremy interrupted from the couch. "He's right, Elena. We'll have better chances during the day. You should try to sleep, you should … eat. Tracking Damon down won't be easy, but compared to convincing him to come home with us it will be a cakewalk. You'll need your strength."

Taking a deep breath, she nodded in her little brother's direction. He looked about as exhausted as she felt. Sometimes she forgot how close he and Damon had gotten – he was worried, too.

On the other side of the room, Caroline cleared her throat, drawing everyone's attention. "Convince him how, exactly?" she inquired, all eyes on her. "I mean, if he's as far gone as you said …"

Elena threw her hands in the air, exasperated. "We'll cross that bridge when we find him. Right now he needs to know that we won't give up on him, that he will be fine, in time."

"How could he?" The blonde's voice had gotten unbelievably small. "I don't know what exactly they did to him …"

"But I do", Elena reminded her, her worry slowly giving way to the kind of all-consuming rage she had last felt earlier in the afternoon. After Damon had left, she had gone to Maxfield's lab, ready to get information out of him, no matter what way. He had been surprisingly forthcoming with her hand around his throat, had even shown her the file their little organization had compiled on her boyfriend, starting in 1953. She had read it all, taken in every gruesome detail while the good doctor had squirmed in her grasp – she had barely even noticed her fingernails cutting into his neck in the end, the blood running over her hands, hadn't really known she was going to kill him until she had already heard his neck snap under her touch. She hadn't allowed anyone else to read about Damon's ordeal, though. By the time the others had finally found her, the file was on fire along with the rest of Maxfield's lab, his body left behind in the flames.

Caroline's eyes drifted to her friend's hands, still caked in dried blood. "Exactly. So what makes you think you can pull him out of it? I know it isn't his fault, really, I do, but he is dangerous right now, Elena."

Her friend shook her head. "If anyone can get through to him, it's me. I can't give up on him."

"What if he hurts you? Or Stefan, or Jeremy? I just think …"

"Dammit, Caroline. Nobody cares what you think!" Elena's voice rang through the house, an icy tone to it that didn't allow any room for an argument.

The blonde vampire's head snapped up to look at her friend – quiet rage coming off of her in waves. A glance to the side showed her that Bonnie too looked at Elena in shock, whereas Jeremy … simply looked at the coffee table in front of him. Stefan on the other hand busied himself staring at his shoes, showing no surprise at his ex-girlfriend's outburst as well.

Caroline swallowed, trying to calm down in order to make her friend understand. "I know you don't mean that", she started, standing up with her hands held up to stop the other girl from interrupting. "So please, think this through, just for a second. Maybe Damon is right, maybe he is too far gone and just wants you to get away from all the damage as long as you still can. He'd want you to live your life, to be happy." As much as she couldn't stand the guy at times, she knew he'd always put Elena's well-being over everything else on the planet. That was why he had left in the first place, after all.

Elena grew quiet at her words, making Caroline think she was finally starting to get through to her. Where her friend had been pacing the floor since coming back from Whitmore in the late afternoon, shaking and trembling, her bloody hands never letting go off her cell phone in case Damon might finally call her back, she now stood perfectly still, eventually placing the device on the coffee table in between them, turning around to give the other vampire her full attention.

Caroline smiled, reaching out her hands to grab hers, or to hug her, or … something. But Elena didn't even acknowledge the gesture. She just stared into her friend's eyes and stated, as calmly as anyone had ever seen her: "Get out!"

The blonde's arms fell to uselessly hang at her sides, the words like a slap to her face … and judging from Elena's expression that might still come.

"But …"

"If you think, even for a second, that I could turn my back on the man that I love at a time where he needs me the most, just because that's what he – and you – might want for me, than you seriously don't know me at all … and I'm not sure if I would ever want you to. So get the hell out of this house, or I don't know what I'll do next. And before you say anything, yes, I do mean that." With that, the eerily collected woman turned around to her brother and Stefan and informed them: "Get some rest, we're leaving at sunrise."

Caroline stared after her as she left the room for the stairs, listened to her footsteps until she reached Damon's bedroom and involuntarily flinched at the sound of the door slamming behind her. Otherwise, she still couldn't move, was only woken from her stupor when she felt a gentle hand on her arm.

"Caroline", Stefan started …

She shook her head, looking at her friend. "She isn't serious …"

He forced a smile onto his lips and nodded, neglecting to inform her that Elena Gilbert simply didn't give up on the people she loved, the people who loved her … especially in their darkest times. That was why she had stuck by him during every Ripper binge and what would guarantee that she would follow his brother to the ends of the earth if she had to. But Caroline didn't get that right now, might even try to talk to Elena again – and that would only get ugly. So he grabbed her elbow, still smiling sadly, and gently pulled her to the front door. "She'll come around. As soon as Damon is safe, I'm sure the two of you will work this out. But right now … you really shouldn't be here."

She opened her mouth in shock once more, but he had already pushed her through the door. "I'm gonna call you as soon as we find him, okay?"

"But …" she started stammering again, only to be rewarded with a resigned sigh from her friend.

"He's my brother, Caroline", Stefan reminded her – before closing the door in her face.

That was the last she saw or heard from him or Elena in weeks. Bonnie came back to campus after a couple of days, the tension between them almost unbearable when she informed her that they had gotten a couple leads on Damon's whereabouts and that Jeremy would be keeping them updated.

When she got home from class one day, the former witch was gone again, a note left for her to not have her worry …

But she worried. She always worried. After she didn't hear from anyone after another week, she went to Matt, who informed her that they were somewhere in New York at the moment – which he knew because Elena called him every freaking day. Apparently, they had run into some witches who might be of help and needed Bonnie to vouch for them, or something. In the following weeks, she received a couple of texts from either her or Stefan, assuring her that everybody was still alive – Elena, though, never tried to reach her once.

Then, finally, almost three months after that fateful afternoon, Stefan called her in the middle of the night, informing her that they had found his brother – and that Bonnie and Jeremy would be home soon. No word on him and Elena, though. She didn't dare to ask.

When Bonnie came back to campus this time, she filled her in on most of the details of how they had eventually found Damon in a dingy motel room in Denver – Elena, for some reason, had cursed herself for not figuring that one out sooner. He hadn't wanted to see them, of course, not that his girlfriend would have had any of that. She had simply broken down the door and yelled at him for leaving when he did, then crawled into bed with him. Stefan had sent the others home eventually, but stayed in town a little while longer himself.

"So they're gonna be back soon, right?" Caroline asked hopefully when Bonnie had finished her story, missing Elena and wanting to make things right with her. "Is she still mad at me?"

Her friend smiled at her somewhat awkwardly, not mentioning that the other girl hadn't even mentioned her name in the last couple of months. "I'm sure you two will work things out. You always do."

Caroline clung to that. For weeks … that turned into months. At one point – Stefan had told her they had been home for a while – she eventually made her way back to the Boarding House, eager to speak to Elena, to see how she was doing with everything. They would both apologize and everything would be alright again … hell, she would even be nice to Damon. Bonnie and Jeremy were on vacation right now, so she was dying to talk to someone.

Only, Elena wasn't there. Nobody was. She had been sitting in the parlor for hours when Stefan finally came home, surprised to find her napping on his couch.

At her question where everybody was, his expression darkened and he took a seat in front of her on the coffee table, looking up at her uncomfortably. "Damon wasn't doing so well here … too many bad memories. So Elena suggested a change of scenery, a little break from their life. I just dropped them off at the airport."

"Where are they going?" she inquired, bummed that she would have to wait to talk to Elena yet again.

Stefan shrugged his shoulders. "They were going to figure that one out spontaneously."

"When will they be back?"

Now her friend swallowed. He didn't know. What he did know and what Carline would learn in time, was that vampires could take longer breaks than normal people. They might in fact not come back to Mystic Falls for years – after which they wouldn't be able to come back at all, seeing as they didn't age.

He wasn't sure he could tell his friend all that right now. She still felt bad about her fight with Elena and wanted to make amends – while he knew that that couldn't be Elena's main concern right now. She was too worried about Damon. So after making sure Jeremy would be alright on his own for a bit – his graduation had come and gone, the college of his choosing was as far away from Mystic Falls as possible – she had jumped at the chance to get the both of them out of town. They deserved to make some happy memories away from home for now.

"As soon as they call to tell me where they ended up, I'll find that out for you, okay?" Stefan eventually offered. "Have you tried calling her, though?"

Caroline bit her lip at the question. She hadn't. After all this time, she had simply thought seeing each other in person would make things better – she had always imagined them tangled up in a hug halfway through the conversation, because they simply knew each other that well and didn't need to hear the actual words.

As she would find out later, Elena would have really needed the words this time.

It wasn't until Bonnie had come back from her road trip with Jeremy, all happy and relaxed, packing up half their dorm – because of course, she was planning to transfer to be with him, stupid love … - that Caroline realized that Elena wasn't planning to come back to Whitmore at all. Because, as it turned out, she had asked their friend to pack up her stuff as well, to put it in storage.

"But … she can't just drop out. This was supposed to be the time of our lives, the college years we would never forget …" Caroline argued, standing in between a maze of boxes.

Bonnie raised her eyebrows at her, busy with the tape gun. "You … we are gonna be teenagers forever, Care. We can go to college for however long we like. That Elena doesn't wanna come back to the campus with the secret society hat used her boyfriend as a lab rat seems to be more important by comparison, doesn't it?"

Caroline didn't point out that the society had disbanded after what had happened to Maxfield and their precious Augustine vampire – who Damon, as it had turned out, had managed to kill right before he had left all those months ago. She got that none of this would be something Elena would want to relive anytime soon. She just hadn't anticipated their collective college experience to end just like this. What was she gonna do without them?

"Has she said anything else?" the blonde finally asked, even though lately, she tried not to bring Elena up unless she absolutely had to.

Bonnie bit her bottom lip, letting go off the box she had been handling. "Only that Italy is beautiful and that I had to see it for myself. Apparently, they decided to visit the old estate the Salvatore's still own there. She has sent pictures – it really puts the Boarding House to shame."

Her friend nodded, having heard something similar from Stefan already. "Has she mentioned … me?"

"Not really", Bonnie answered bluntly, sitting back on the floor. "You still haven't called her."

Caroline was surprised. Normally, their mutual best friend tried not to be too direct when that topic came up. "Yeah, well, she hasn't called me, either. Why do I have to be the one to apologize first?"

"Because you're the one who screwed up", the other girl continued, for once not willing to ignore the elephant in the room. "You told her to abandon her boyfriend after he had been brutally tortured and needed her the most. You have to make up for that."

The blonde shook her head, not sure she was hearing right. "I was only worried about her! And look, we both said things we didn't mean …"

"Oh, did you?" Bonnie interrupted right away, standing up to pile her current box on top of an already swaying tower. "Newsflash, Caroline: You both meant what you said that day. And if you don't realize that … well, maybe then there isn't anything you can fix about it."

By the time her friend was done packing, Caroline was left alone in an almost empty dorm room that – despite all their plans – the three of them had really ever lived in together for a couple of weeks at best. So in the end, she finished her classes for the year and then left as well. Staying there alone was simply too depressing. She still stayed in contact with Bonnie, Jeremy, Matt and Stefan … never actually got around to calling Elena, though. They would see each other again at some point, after all. And she really preferred talking to her in person.

So she waited … and waited. She got into a variety of new schools, did all the cheerleading and party-planning her inner 14-year-old had always desired … and not surprisingly, found it lacking something. Because while the girls in her sororities were always fun, they weren't the ones she had envisioned herself doing this with since the tender age of six.

Eventually, she ended up in New York, working for a successful party service for the rich and famous, when the invitation came. So after almost ten years, she had a valid reason to go home to Mystic Falls again – because Matt Donovan would finally be getting married to that girl he had introduced her to during one of his visits years earlier.

She felt equally relieved and anxious at the prospect of seeing Elena again at the wedding. They would finally be able to really talk about what had happened. So she packed her things and went home, using make-up and the most conservative clothes she owned – which wasn't saying much – to at least try to look like the 28-year-old she was supposed to be. After catching up with her Mom, she went to see Bonnie at the Grill, marveling at the fact that despite all the near-apocalypses haunting their quaint little town at any given moment, things seemed to be just like they had left them … on the surface.

It wasn't long before she realized her mistake, though, since only five minutes into their second drink, Bonnie informed her about her and Jeremy's break-up. So after looking forward to Matt's wedding day for weeks, she was left sitting dumbfounded in the middle of their old bar, listening to her friend, who she thought to be in the most stable relationship possible, explaining to her how it had been a long time coming. She and Jeremy loved each other, always would – but they just couldn't close their eyes from the truth any longer. He was aging – she was not, being a corporal ghost, holding up the balance between this side and the other. They had always had an expiration date.

"But you love him", Caroline interrupted after a while, interrupting Bonnie from playing with the straw in her drink. "How can you just let him go like that?"

Her friend smiled sadly. "I'm dead, Care. I'm gonna have to hang around here forever – I'm sure you know the feeling. So all I can really do for him right now is letting him have his life as long as he still can. He's still young, he can still find the perfect woman, fall in love, have a family. I want that for him."

The blonde nodded in understanding. In fact, she hadn't had one lasting relationship with a human in the last decade – they had always called it quits long before she would have had to let the vampire out of the bag, so to speak. "What is Elena saying to all this?"

Now it was Bonnie's turn to be surprised. They didn't talk about her often – about as often as she talked about Caroline with Elena, in fact – so her friend bringing up her name in a conversation just didn't happen. "She wants him to be happy, too." The girl smiled at a memory, looking down at the table. "You're gonna laugh – but she actually sat him down and asked him if he wanted her to turn him."

Caroline's eyes grew wide. Why would she laugh about such crazy talk?

"But he didn't. He doesn't want to be a vampire and I could never ask that of him – so we came to the only conclusion we could and ended it as long as we could still be friends." She finished her drink with a twinge of nostalgia. She would miss him – but in the end, she would have always ended up missing him, be it now or in 50 years.

"She wouldn't have actually done it, though, right?" the vampire drew her attention back to Elena. "She would never do that to her brother."

Bonnie frowned. "She wouldn't do it to him, no. But she would have done it for him – if it had been what he wanted."

"Why? After everything she went through after she turned?" Caroline seriously tried to grasp the concept of the Elena Gilbert she once knew volunteering to turn her little brother into the very thing she herself had never wanted to become.

"She got over that a long time ago, you know that", her friend argued. "She is happy. And honestly, I think if she had to make the decision today, she would do it. Relationships between mortals and immortals don't work, after all."

She wanted to reply to that, wanted to argue that Elena would have wanted to have children, would have wanted to grow old and die in her bed surrounded by her grandkids – but how the hell would she know? She hadn't even seen the girl in almost a decade, hadn't understood her unwavering devotion to Damon of all people since long before that …

So in the end, she let it drop. After finishing another round, she wished Bonnie the best and went home to have dinner with her mother, who couldn't get enough of all the stories she had to tell.

The next morning she got ready for the wedding by squeezing herself into the unaffordable haute couture dress she had compelled herself during her last shopping trip to 5th Avenue and pulling her long blonde hair up in a fancy little bun, hoping it would make her look her age.

When she got to the church she was actually running late and barely had the time to congratulate the blushing groom before she was ushered to her seat – so it wasn't until after the beautiful ceremony that she finally got her first glimpse of Elena – and to be fair, her old friend simply looked stunning. She was wearing a breathtaking dress in a deep emerald green – clearly no cheaper than the one she herself had thrown on – her long brown hair falling in wanton locks down her back – in fact, if she didn't know any better, she would have mistaken her for Katherine in an instant – but none of that could distract from the radiant smile on her lips as she leaned forward to congratulate Matt's new bride with a warm hug.

Then she turned around – to Damon, fusing their bodies back together by interlocking their arms, almost melting into his side. Not that he seemed to mind or anything, sporting a smile as bright as hers, looking criminally dashing in his perfectly tailored suit, with a tie to match the color of Elena's dress. Even she had to admit that they appeared to be the perfect couple.

Of course, she couldn't talk to Elena now, with her being wrapped around him like that, so she grabbed herself a glass of champagne from the closest waiter and decided to mingle with the crowd – she hadn't seen any of these people in ages after all. She'd find the time to talk to her old friend later.

However, running into her in the ladies' room after some idiot they had gone to Junior High with had spilled his drink all over her new favorite dress, hadn't been part of Caroline's plan. So of course, a happily giggling Elena stepped into the room and closed the door behind her just as she was busy trying to get the stain out.

Her old friend's giggles subsided instantly. "Caroline."

The blonde dropped the wet paper towel, standing up straight. "Elena, hey. I was hoping to see you."

The other girl's face warmed up with a smile. "I was hoping to see you, too."

And there it was – the moment she had been waiting for, the chance to repair a relationship she had always held dear … and she didn't know what to say. "Can you believe Matt is married now?" Caroline suppressed the urge to roll her eyes at her own words.

Elena nodded. "Little Matt Donovan, all grown up. Who would have thought he would be the first one of us to get married?"

"I always thought he would be … to you, of course", the blonde replied in a joking tone, though both of them knew she meant every word – yet again. And as if on cue, the warm smile disappeared from the other woman's face completely.

"Yeah, well. I think we all know that that was never going to happen", she reminded her old friend. "But it all turned out for the best – you don't choose who you love after all."

Caroline inwardly cringed, but knew she had to be the one to broach the subject. "So, how's Damon?"

"He's fine. We've had a couple rough years in the beginning, but you know him. He always bounces back." Elena crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"Tell him `hi` for me, will you?", she offered with a smile, hoping to break the ice.

The brunette frowned. "I'm sure you can tell him yourself. Night's still young. Plenty of opportunities to catch up."

Caroline swallowed. She should have figured that her friend wouldn't be making this easy. "Yeah, maybe. But hey, since we're both here … I wanted to talk to you about …"

She never got around to finishing her sentence. The moment she had built up the courage to put everything she wanted to say into words, the door behind Elena flew open and closed again in the matter of a second, Damon's arms wrapping around his girlfriend from behind, his lips fusing to the skin of her neck without so much as a glance around the room.

The brunette giggled at his touch, her fingers finding his resting on her stomach – and suddenly, Caroline knew exactly why she had snuck into the bathroom in the first place.

"Damon, stop", Elena warned him half-heartily, trying to push herself away from his frame. "We've got company."

"I thought you wanted to compel them away", Damon simply breathed into her skin, only stopping when he heard someone clearing their throat from a few feet away. Looking up, he found none other than Vampire Barbie in the room with them, awkwardly trying not to stare at them. "Oh. Hey, Blondie. Long time no see. How's life?"

Caroline waved at him uncomfortably, relaxing a little when he in fact distanced himself from Elena a bit. "Life's good. How is yours?"

"Never been happier", he replied flippantly, one arm still securely around his girlfriend.

Elena smiled at his remark, knowing he meant every word, and leaned back into him. "You wanted to talk about something, Caroline?" she then asked, making no attempt to disentangle herself from Damon this time.

The blonde swallowed, looking from one to the other, realizing her old friend seemed intent on having this conversation with him in the room. "Yeah. Hey, maybe we can go out to brunch tomorrow? Just you, me and Bonnie. It'll be just like old times", she offered hopefully.

The other woman's expression clouded considerably, clearly recognizing her intention to exclude Damon from the equation. "Sorry, we'll be leaving first thing in the morning, we have a flight to catch. But we can talk now."

Her boyfriend frowned at the tension between the girls, attempting to pull his arm away from Elena to give them some privacy, but she just gripped his hand a little tighter, holding him in place – it didn't go unnoticed by Caroline, who forced a smile onto her lips.

"Yeah, I promise I'm going to find you later. But right now I really need some soda or this stain will never come out. I'll just grab some from the bar real quick. See you guys." With that, she pushed herself past them to the door, noticing the audible sigh escaping Elena's lips. Before she could close the door behind her, she could still see the other girl turning around in Damon's arms, shaking her head at his questioning look and grabbing his face in her hands.

When the door was finally shut and she could lean herself against it, the simple demand of "Just kiss me!" coming from the other side made her retreat in a hurry. She would find her friend later … by then Elena's mood would probably be a lot better, too.

So … she had found her later. Later being over 20 years later in Bonnie's kitchen. She would have never thought they would have been able to avoid each other for so long, always thought she would simply pick up the phone one day and call Elena out of the blue, had always expected her friend would do the same after a while.

Back then, one simple truth hadn't occurred to her yet. It would have always needed to be her to make the first step. Because the Elena Gilbert she never got around to really knowing was real, was honest. She simply didn't apologize for things she wasn't sorry for. And standing up for the man that she loved – Elena would never allow herself to be sorry for that.

* * *

"Hello, earth to Caroline!"

The blonde vampire looked up, shaken from her reverie to find herself back in front of Rebekah Mikaelson, waving a hand in front of her face. "Where did you run off to?"

"Sorry, just lost in thoughts", the other girl replied, noticing she had somehow sat down at the kitchen counter.

Rebekah rolled her eyes, putting her now empty glass down beside her. "Whatever. If you'll excuse me now, I think Matt Donovan still owes me a dance."

As she started to leave the room, Caroline let out a sigh. "You realize the man has a wife and three kids, right?"

The Original winked at her over her shoulder. "The night is still young."

Left alone, Caroline nodded into the empty room. "Heard that one before …"

* * *

"Finally, I'm starving over here, you know", Damon greeted her loudly as soon as she had made her way back through the crowded living room, taking one of the blood-filled glasses out of Elena's hand before pulling her close to his side, looking back to the girls he had been talking to. "Excuse me, ladies. Haven't had a chance to dance with my girl all evening."

Elena tried not to roll her eyes at the giggling strangers who had been blushing into her man's general direction, but made a hasty retreat at his words, accompanied by the not-so-friendly look on her face. "You find groupies wherever you go, don't you?" she then teased him, allowing his mere presence to melt away her bad mood.

"Told you not to leave me alone at these things. Some women simply don't take 'no' for an answer", he teased right back, putting his glass down on a nearby table, his hunger already forgotten with her so close to him. "What took you so long, anyway?"

She averted her eyes for a second, even though she knew there was no use. He could always see right through her.

So, as expected, he took her glass out of her hands as well, putting it down beside his, to make sure he had her full attention when he lifted her chin with a gentle hand. "Hey, what happened?"

She allowed him to pull her into his embrace, beginning to slowly swing them to the sound of the halfway decent music Bonnie had picked out for the festivities. "Nothing happened. It's just … I ran into Caroline, that's all."

There we go … Damon sighed as she rested her head against his shoulder, his arms tightening around her. "Well, since the two of you haven't exactly talked in 20 years that probably wasn't all that pleasant. I speak from experience, of course, go through that with Stefan all the time."

She smiled into the fabric of his black designer shirt, aware that that was mostly a joke. While yes, there had been stretches of time in the past where he and his brother didn't talk for decades, that hadn't happened for as long as she had known them. After everything that had went down in Mystic Falls back in the day, the two of them had managed to find some common ground, remembering that deep inside, they would always love each other. So now, they made a habit out of calling one another at least once every couple of weeks and meeting up whenever their travels allowed it. "That's different, though", Elena reminded him after a while. "You two are brothers. Caroline and I … I don't even know what we are anymore. As of tonight we've been strangers for far longer than we ever had been friends."

"So go back in there and talk to her", he suggested. "Just tell her exactly what you think and you'll see where you can go from there. Despite everything, we both know you miss her."

Elena hid her face in his shoulder again, letting out a muffled groan. "I miss the good parts", she admitted. "I miss having a girls' night out with only her and Bonnie, I miss the friend I grew up with. What I don't miss is the judgy young vampire who thought it was okay to meddle in my life, expecting me to listen to her concerns while completely disregarding mine."

Damon sighed, resting his chin on top of her head. "You know I hate to be the reason you lost a friend, right? So let me just remind you, when you had that epic fight you only told me about after months of prodding, she kind of had a point."

At that, the woman in his arms let out an actual laugh. "She did, didn't she? And you think I don't know that? You think I didn't know that back then? That Damon Salvatore, when backed into a corner, would lash out against the people he cares about? Color me shocked."

He rolled his eyes at the remark, but couldn't help but smile.

"It wasn't about that, really. It wasn't about her making a point, it was about her not listening to me, not getting me at all. You needed me – that was all that mattered. I would have done the same if it had been her in your position, she should have known that. So don't you dare think any of this would be your fault", she continued, leaning her head back to make him look at her. "This is between me and her and always has been. Back then, that fight … I think we had just reached an impasse and never quite figured out how to go on from there. It isn't anybody's fault, really. It just is."

Damon swallowed, marveling at the resolve in her beautiful Bambi-eyes. What did he do to deserve this girl? The topic of Caroline Forbes didn't come up often between them. After these first couple of months back in the day where they hadn't really been around other people, especially him, he had started wondering why Barbie was the only one who never seemed to call. It took him a while, but eventually Elena had let him in on the whole story. He had tried to apologize for his part in it, but just like today, she never would allow him to. After that, he had figured the girls would eventually make their way through this, like they always had … and 30 years later, here they were. But Elena was right. This was between her and Caroline, he couldn't just magically make things right, could he?

Elena looked up at him, practically seeing the wheels turn in his brain. Shaking her head, she tightened her arms around him, intent on making him focus only on her – and even after over 30 years together, that never didn't work. But she meant what she had said – her problem with Caroline really wasn't about him at all. After all, how could you possibly stay friends with a person who constantly told you that the man you loved, the one you were sharing a life with, was wrong for you? Especially if you knew deep in your soul that he was the only thing actually right about you? Her former friend had never really gotten her, never gotten them. There was no her without him, there never would be. They were a team, would be one for the rest of eternity, and if Caroline couldn't accept that …

… well, she just couldn't, it seemed.

* * *

"Have you been hiding in here the whole time?"

Caroline startled, looking up from the picture frame in her hands to find Bonnie standing in the doorway to the kitchen, a bemused expression on her face.

The vampire bit her bottom lip, awkwardly looking for the time on the display of the microwave. It was just past three in the morning. "Sorry, terrible guest over here. Is the party winding down?"

Her friend snorted, walking over to where she was still sitting at the kitchen counter on shaky legs, clearly a little inebriated. "It did – about an hour ago. The last guests just left. Damon and Elena did about 30 minutes ago, by the way, so you could have come out sooner."

Caroline cringed. "I didn't … it wasn't because of them."

"Sure it wasn't", Bonnie replied dryly, opening her fridge to grab a bottle of water. "Just like it wasn't at the last three parties." She shook her head, peroxide blonde hair falling into her face – a bold choice made during her latest visit to her hair stylist.

The other woman decided to stay silent on the subject.

After taking a big gulp of water, Bonnie sat down beside her, throwing a look at the framed picture in her friend's hands. She couldn't help but smile at the sight. "My God, look at us. We were so young back then."

Caroline nodded, glancing back at the picture she had taken from the hallway earlier, not having seen it in ages. It depicted the three of them, best friends for life, in their red graduation gowns, the caps slightly askew on their heads. "Don't you just wish you could turn back time, sometimes?" she asked. "I mean, these girls, they look happy, don't they?"

"No", Bonnie answered the first question right away. "And yes, they do look happy. They weren't, though, not when that picture was taken."

Her friend rolled her eyes. "What are you talking about? We look so innocent, so carefree, so …"

"Dead", the other woman finished for her. "Because that's what we all were at that point, we were dead – two vampires and a ghost. We had loved and lost so many people, we knew death, had experienced it first-hand, had both died and killed. There is nothing innocent about these girls, Caroline. You know that. Elena was worried out of her mind because Damon had been infected with werewolf venom, I had just died the night before and hadn't known how to tell anyone and you … well you insisted we had to capture this fateful moment for eternity. I love you, Care, but please, don't rewrite history."

The vampire put the picture down, her expression darkening. "I guess I decided to remember it differently, then."

Bonnie nodded. "Caroline Forbes, always the one for spreading the High School spirit – even though we never managed to actually go to school, always too busy thwarting the next apocalypse."

"Hey, there is nothing wrong with trying to be happy", Caroline argued, getting annoyed by the constant nagging.

Her friend nodded, a sad smile on her lips. "I agree. And I am happy. I wasn't then", she pointed at the picture. "But I am now. So is Elena. How about you?"

Caroline swallowed, not knowing how to answer that question. Was she happy? What did that even mean?

"Maybe you should stop trying to relive the past – that includes taking trips down memory lane in my kitchen while there is a party going on ten feet away, only because you are trying to avoid an awkward conversation with certain people." Bonnie looked her up and down knowingly, even though her friend wouldn't meet her eyes.

She let out a frustrated growl. "For the hundredth time: I'm not avoiding Damon and Elena!"

"Never said you were avoiding Damon", the former witch corrected. "You never had a problem telling him exactly what you thought about him – just as he never had a problem hearing it. That's Damon for you. It's Elena who decided not to listen anymore, isn't it?"

"Yeah, she did!" Caroline burst out, hitting the countertop in front of her with two balled fists. "We were going to college together, just like we were supposed to, then we have one tiny little fight and she just moves out like that? And now she is getting a do-over with Rebekah of all people? Since when are these two not trying to kill each other on sight, by the way?"

Bonnie chuckled. "It's been a couple of years, actually. She can be pretty decent as long as her brothers aren't around, you know."

"Great", the other girl huffed out sarcastically. "So I guess she and Damon are all buddy-buddy now, too."

Her friend shrugged. "They do get along just fine – maybe for Elena's sake, I don't know."

Caroline closed her eyes at the comment, knowing it was directed at her. "So what, I'm supposed to like him now in order to straighten things out with Elena? Is that the answer?"

"No", Bonnie corrected, leaning forward to grab her friend's hands in hers. "You don't have to like him, nobody expects you to. But you have to accept him as a part of Elena's life – as a part of Elena, really – that just isn't going away."

"Since when are you such a fan of his?" the vampire asked incredulously.

"Well, despite everything he may have done, once upon a time, you can't argue with the fact that he loves Elena, can you? He will do anything in his power to make her happiness last for all eternity. And if he can do that, the least I can do is put up with his snarky comments once in a while, don't you think? After all, if it weren't for him, we wouldn't be here right now, having this conversation. I'd still be on the other side – or worse – watching you sit here all by yourself." A man who would go to the lengths he did, just so his girlfriend wouldn't need to miss her best friend anymore, was definitely one Bonnie Bennett could approve of for Elena.

Caroline sighed, not needing to be reminded of Damon Salvatore's good deeds, thank you very much. "But I'm still her friend. And I still think he is wrong for her."

"Well, then I guess you'll just have to keep hiding in my kitchen for the rest of eternity", Bonnie replied, exasperated. She had been in the middle of this little quarrel for far too long by now, ready for the two of them to mend their bond for decades. By now, however, she was starting to think it was turning into a lost cause.

Her friend, swallowed, shaking her head. "You know what? If she was still my friend, she would listen to my concerns! She would not just throw away what we had over her boyfriend!"

The other woman cast down her eyes, taking a deep breath. "Husband."

Caroline's head flew around so fast, under other circumstances, it would have been amusing. "Come again?"

"They have been married for a little over ten years now." Bonnie met her friend's dumbfounded look.

"How … how didn't I know this?" the vampire asked, her mouth suddenly dry.

Bonnie shrugged her shoulders. "How could I have told you? Every time I bring up Elena's name in a conversation, you change the subject so fast I get whiplash."

"So one of my best friends got married and I wasn't even invited?" Caroline pieced together. God, would it have killed Elena to send her an invitation?

Her friend shook her head. "Don't worry about that. I wasn't invited, either. Nobody was. Apparently, they just walked by this cute little chapel one day and decided to go for it, or something. Elena only called me afterwards."

Now she snorted. "Sounds romantic."

"It did", Bonnie agreed, ignoring the sarcasm. "Just two people in love, pledging their eternal devotion to one another … never heard her sound happier."

Caroline murmured: "She could have called me, too, you know …"

"Oh, really? What would you have said?" the other girl inquired knowingly. "Would you have reminded her what a terrible mistake she was making? Because what girl wouldn't like to hear that on her wedding day?"

She stayed quiet once again, realizing that probably wouldn't have been too far from the truth.

"If you ask me, you and Elena have a long way to go before things could go back to the way they once were", Bonnie continued now, leaning closer so her friend would listen. "But I love you both and really hope that one day you won't feel the need to crouch down behind the nearest kitchen counter as soon as she enters a room." She picked up the forgotten picture frame and held it up. "So if you ever want another picture of these three girls – one in which they are truly happy – then for God's sake, pick up the phone and ask her out for lunch!"

Caroline bit her bottom lip, trying to keep her tears at bay, causing her friend to stand up and embrace her in a comforting hug.

When Bonnie let go again, she pointed in the direction of the hallway. "I made up the guestroom for you. Tell me if you need anything, okay?"

The vampire nodded. "Thank you."

After that her friend wished her a 'Good night' and left her alone with her thoughts again, yawning all the way to her own bedroom.

Caroline envied her, knowing the mere concept of sleep would escape herself tonight. Sighing, her look drifted back to the countertop – and inevitably, to the smiling faces of three young women who might not have been as happy in that one moment in time as she had willed herself to remember.

* * *

As expected, a good night's sleep had eluded her. That was how the vampire once again found herself in Bonnie's kitchen the next day, too tired to even change out of the borrowed, fluffy pink bathrobe.

After a lengthy breakfast late in the morning, the homeowner had left her to her own devices with the excuse of having some errands to run, but had promised to be back soon enough so that they could go out to dinner.

So Caroline had little left to do but sit around and think about their conversation from last night, absently flipping through the TV-channels – there were more every year, and yet there still seemed to be nothing on.

A knock at the front door made her pause in her task, thankful for the distraction. But who could it be? Maybe Bonnie was back early and had forgotten her key?

Not thinking much of it, she strolled through the living room, still in her bathrobe, and opened the door without so much as a glance through the peephole.

"You know what my problem is?"

Her mouth open, one hand still holding the door, she could barely make out Damon's form – all clad in black and gorgeous as ever, of course, that bastard … – as he breezed past her into the apartment to come to a halt in front of Bonnie's couch.

"My problem is that the woman I love is hurting, and there is absolutely nothing I can do about it", he continued without taking a beat, flashing her a somewhat angry look. "But guess what? This is where you come in."

Caroline took a deep breath, trying to compose herself. Because whatever her plans had been for the day, they certainly hadn't included a lecture from Damon Salvatore. "Hello to you, too. Why don't you come in?" she therefore snapped at him, throwing the door closed again.

He just kept staring at her, more annoyed than angry now, so she let out a sigh and leaned back against the wall behind her.

"You hate me, I get that", he eventually started again, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Be my guest. To be honest, I'm not exactly your biggest fan, either – especially since Elena is hurting because of you."

Caroline moved her attention to the floor at her feet.

"But believe it or not, she still misses you. And it just so happens that a little birdie told me that you might be feeling the same way", Damon continued, his expression softening.

The blonde looked up at that comment, a frown creasing her forehead. "Did Bonnie call you?"

He pursed his lips, trying to look thoughtful. "Can't really recall the birdie's name at the moment, sorry. But anyway, we both agreed that this little radio silence between the two of you has been going on long enough. So I'm here to suggest a truce."

"Between me and her?" Caroline asked, confusion written all over her face.

Damon shook his head incredulously. "No, between you and me. If we can both agree on one thing, it is loving Elena. So for her sake, I suggest we try to be friendly in each other's presence from now on, deal? How you fix things with her, however, you'll have to figure out on your own."

"I don't really think she'd wanna talk to me", the woman admitted, avoiding his piercing stare.

He rolled his eyes, taking a folded piece of paper out of his jacket and handed it over to her.

Curiously, she opened it and found a phone number and an address, all written in his unique scrawl. She looked up again with a question in her eyes.

"The number is for an emergency phone – I'm the only one who has it. If you call that number, she'll answer, no matter what", he explained, already inwardly cringing at the lecture he would have to listen to as soon as Elena found out he gave away their emergency contacts.

Caroline nodded. "What about the address? Is that where you live now?" It was in Paris, so …

Damon shook his head. "But we live not far from there", he amended. "That's the address to a quiet little café that she loves. I'm the only one who knows about that, as well. She goes there all the time to write, says the atmosphere inspires her. If you wanna catch her alone, that'll be your best shot."

Lost in thoughts, she couldn't help but smile, imagining Elena sitting alone in the middle of one of the most beautiful cities on earth, so engrossed in her work that she doesn't even notice all of Paris passing by on the other side of the window, all the while sporting the same absent expression she had seen on her face a million times before while her friend had scribbled in her notebook. "She still writes …"

"Yeah", Damon answered with a proud smile. "She's good at it, too. Already got some stuff published – which I'm sure she'll tell you all about as soon as you ask."

The blonde nodded, his note still held tightly in her hands. "You're gonna get in trouble for this, aren't you?" she asked then, almost pitying him.

"As you cannot imagine …" he replied theatrically, one of his signature smirks firmly in place.

She didn't know why, but she just had to smile at the expression. "Thank you, Damon."

"No problem", he shrugged. "Just make sure to call her. She's lost too many people already."

Then, without waiting for her reply, he opened the door behind her again, announcing: "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have plans for lunch and wouldn't want to leave the wife waiting." One last smirk in her direction, and he was gone as quickly as he had arrived.

Leaning against the door, Caroline let out a loud sigh, allowing herself to slide down until she landed firmly on the floor. "Guess it's up to you now", she murmured to herself, Damon's note still clutched in her hand.

* * *

Weeks later – she had needed some time to build up the courage – Caroline's fingers stilled over her cell phone, Elena's number long since memorized.

Here goes nothing …

After dialing eventually, she pressed her phone to her ear, eyes focused on the window right across the street – the Rue de la … something. She had never actually bothered learning French during her former visits to the city, maybe now she would have to …

Elena didn't look much different than the last time they had seen each other – only now she seemed to be totally in her element. She was sitting alone at a table by the window, a laptop and her journal in front of her, not having looked up ever since Caroline had started watching her. The waitress just seemed to bring her a new cup of coffee whenever she would finish the one before. It was safe to say that her old friend came here a lot.

When she finally heard the ringing coming from her phone, she could see Elena stir on the other side of the windowpane, reaching for her device on the table in front of her. When she noticed that it wasn't the one ringing, her entire body went rigid for a second, before she practically dove into her purse, coming up with another phone, fumbling around nervously to take the call.

"Damon?! Where are you, what happened?"

Caroline cringed at the panicked sound of her voice, almost regretting having decided to call first. "No, Elena. It's me, Caroline …"

She watched her visibly relax inside the café, but also saw a frown darkening her old friend's features. "Is everything okay? Are you alright?" The panicked sound hadn't subsided.

"Don't worry, I'm fine", Caroline assured her, allowing a smile to graze her lips. "But listen … I was hoping we could talk …"

Elena leaned back into her chair, back to looking as content as she had been when she had first arrived.

Caroline knew it wasn't much, didn't have to mean anything, really … but hey, it was a start. They had all eternity to work on it, after all.

The end

* * *

Author's Note: Just to warn you – this note is gonna take a while. Anyway, I watched the first sneak peek for "The cell" the other day … and after only one minute of screen time, Caroline Forbes was already driving me up the wall. It's a feat these days, when Stefan Salvatore is in a scene and he isn't the most annoying character in it, isn't it?

One of my biggest problems with Vampire Barbie – she has every right to hate Damon, and yet, who does she lash out against? Not him, always Elena. And that isn't a new development, either. It has been occurring ever since her so called best friend turned. All of a sudden, there were an old and a new Elena. And old Elena would have never killed Jesse, right? Wrong. I am hard-pressed to remember a time when the poor lab rat wouldn't have ended up with a stake in his heart. Because Elena is fine with being the bad guy as long as her loved ones are save. Elena will always put them first. And even Stefan realizes that. If you think that Jesse would have survived that day if it had been him there instead of Elena, you're sorely mistaken, Care Bear. He would have saved his brother's life, no question. Plus, in all of her little rants here, does Caroline even once at least acknowledge to herself or anyone that the only reason Jesse was a vampire in the first place, was because she had to give him her blood. And why was that again? Oh, because Amnesia Stefan had just found out that the girlfriend he didn't even remember was dating his brother – and really, where is the point in being the good guy when it doesn't get you laid, right? And still, Saint Stefan seems to be perfect boyfriend material for Elena, according to Professor Forbes.

Caroline used to be a great character – until they made her the mouthpiece for Stelena in the shipping wars. Ever since the break-up, when she said she wouldn't pick sides and then promptly chose Stefan's over the girl's she had been friends with for all her life, she's been acting as if she doesn't recognize Elena at all – and you know why? Because it turns out, she never knew her to begin with.

So after watching the sneak peek, I was reminded of the last scene Caroline and Elena shared in "Dead man on campus" and Caroline's statement about them not being best friends anymore as soon as she would stop telling her what she thinks … and I could only think, yes, that day is coming. Because sooner rather than later, Vampire Barbie will push our morally dubious princess too far – and in the middle of one of her rants, Elena will just sigh, turn around to the girl who used to be one of her best friends and ask her to keep her opinion to herself. That's really the only outcome I am seeing here. And then, years, maybe decades down the road, these two formerly best friends will inevitably run into each other – maybe at Bonnie's Birthday party – and make awkward small talk with each other, because they won't have anything else left to say. And I just think that is sad – it's sad that two girls who once upon a time would have died for each other, will be ripped apart – it's sad, that Caroline doesn't even seem to realize it. Because whether Elena might be aware of it, or not – she will always choose Damon, too. The man she loves she cannot live without, Caroline she could.

Wow … excuse my rant. Just had to get this off my chest. I really, really don't like where the writers have taken Caroline's character in the last two seasons. Hating Damon is completely understandable, glorifying Stefan could be excused under certain circumstances, but completely undermining Elena's own choices, beliefs and wants in the process is where she lost me. Because if she really thought even for a second that the so-called "old Elena" would have given Jesse a chance – to kill all three of them, I guess – then she never got her in the first place, and probably never will …

Anyway, long story short, this is how the idea to this little fic was born. 22 pages later, here we are. Hope you enjoyed it despite all the venting.


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